Uncommon Comfort

Last night while preparing for corporate worship I turned to Psalm 23, because one of the songs for this morning's service was based on the passage.  

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

I began to jot it down on paper as if I were talking to someone about God instead of talking to God as it is written.  While going through this process the end of verse 4 caught my attention.  It struck me that a rod and staff would be used for correction, and that on the surface doesn't seem very comforting.  I would think that lying down in green pastures and being lead by still waters would be comforting.  It would seem that being held close, or given a pat on the back would be comforting.  How do a rod and staff bring comfort?  As I thought about it I realized that it is comforting to know that God disciplines us as a parent who wants what is best for His children, so I decided to find out a little more about a shepherd's rod and staff.  

A shepherd's rod was indeed used for discipline.  If a sheep was wondering away, the shepherd would throw the rod to startle the animal back to the flock.  I was also used for protection and was carried at all times as an extension of the shepherd's own arm.  In addition to discipline and protection, the rod was used in examining the sheep to make sure they were healthy and had not developed a skin infection under their wool, and it was the instrument used for marking the sheep to indicate ownership.  A look at the shepherd's good intentions for the sheep in using the rod does bring comfort.  Knowing that: He won't let us wander too far away, He will protect us from enemies, He searches out our sickness so he can heal us, and He marks us as His own, is reassuring.  

A shepherd's staff was a separate tool that had other functions.  It typically would have a crook that could be use for pulling sheep out of the awkward situations they are prone to getting stuck in.  With his staff a shepherd could reach a sheep that had fallen into a precarious spot or gotten caught in a thicket.  It was also used for guiding a sheep onto the right path.  The shepherd would gently lay his staff on the sheep's side, and apply pressure to guide the animal the direction it should go.  We all find ourselves in awkward situations that we can't get ourselves out of.  The Bible is very clear that all have sinned (Romans 3:23), but God reached into the brambles and rescued us when He sent His Son to pay our debt on the cross.  The pressures of life are uncomfortable, but our Shepherd is using them to guide us to the path we must take.  It is comforting to know that He will guide us; and that when we fail to follow, consequently finding ourselves in a tight spot, He will pull us out.

In our Sunday School class this morning we were lead to Titus 3:3-7 which reads:  "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,  so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."  That is what our good and merciful Shepherd has done for us! 

Information on the shepherd's rod and staff is from http://www.antipas.org/commentaries/articles/shepherd_psa23/shepherd_07.html